Colleyville Council Candidates Background and Positions

Colleyville, Texas   March 6, 2017

The following were submitted by each candidate.  Four of Five Candidates responded timely with only Candidate Chad LaPrelle failing to respond to information from LNO.
The Position of the information is by the Council Seat the Candidate is seeking and the position there under by blind drawing.

Each position is elected for a Three Year Term, with a maximum per the 2016 Term Limit Change to the Colleyville Charter of two consecutive terms in the same position (Mayor or Council Member)

Colleyville City Council Place 3 – Jon Bullock

Jon Bullock
5808 Bettinger Drive
Colleyville, TX 76034

Responses from Jon Bullock

1. What are your best qualifications to serve on city council?
   1. Business background
      • I have owned and managed a successful IT consulting company for several years. I will bring that experience to bear in my work on city council.  I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA.
   2. Record of Service
      • I have served our community in many ways – the Colleyville Rotary Club, Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation, Colleyville Executive Organization, supporting our library, and supporting our police and firemen. I would consider it an honor to serve on City Council.
   3. Community Relationships
      • I’ve lived in Colleyville since 1991, and (to borrow from Will Rogers) I’ve never met a person I didn’t like. I am known as someone who is independent, open-minded and friendly and who enjoys serving his community.  I’m proud to have good friends across the political spectrum.  I hope to bring people together in a spirit of community and cooperation.

2. List all city activities, boards, etc. you have been involved in with the dates
   1. Colleyville Rotary –2008 – present
      • President, chair of Dancing for the Stars
      • Participant in wheelchair trips to Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica
      • Participant in Polio National Immunization Day in India
      • Raised funds for Mobile Command Post and Redman training suit for Colleyville Police Department
      • Raised funds for Teen Center for Colleyville Library
   2. Leadership Colleyville – 2009
   3. Colleyville Chamber of Commerce – 2009 – present
   4. Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation Board or Directors – 2010 – present
      • President
      • Finance Committee
      • Golf Committee
      • New Educators Lunch Committee
      • Celebrating Our Stars banquet
      • Convocation committee
   5. Colleyville Center Advisory Committee – 2010 – 2013
   6. Colleyville Executive Organization – 2012 – present
      • Chairman, Board of Directors
   7. North Texas Shield Foundation – 2015 – present
      • Board of Directors

3. Top 5 Issues and Positions
   1. Spirit of community and openness
      • I am very concerned about the level of rancor and vitriol in recent elections. I believe we do better when we work together.  I will treat all citizens and fellow council members with respect.
   2. Fiscal Stewardship
      • I will support policies that balance the desire to keep taxes low with the need to save for the future.
   3. Proactive Maintenance of Infrastructure
      • Maintenance of roads and water infrastructure is a priority. Planned maintenance and replacement are far less expensive than emergency repairs.
   4. Public Safety
      • Continue innovative community policing to maintain designation as the Safest City in Texas.
   5. Responsible Economic Development
      • I encourage new businesses to come to Colleyville to give our citizens more options and enhance our tax base, while supporting the overall character of the city.

Colleyville City Council Place 3 – Kathy Wheat

Kathy Wheat
206 Colden Court
Colleyville, Texas

1.) What do you feel are your best qualifications to serve on City Council?

As an energetic and approachable mother with two young children, I can provide a fresh perspective on City Council that will help ensure Colleyville remains the destination community that attracted so many of our families here. I am a problem solver with more than twenty years of experience as a marketing leader in established corporations as well as startups where a jump-in-and-solve-problems attitude is mandatory. And with a BA in Mathematics from UT Austin, I also bring an analytical and inquisitive mind to the table.

My family moved to Texas almost 6 years ago, during which time I have been primarily staying home with my young children. This gift of time with my children has also allowed me to become deeply involved with Colleyville organizations, businesses, and my children’s schools. I feel this unique network that I have established will also give me a greater understanding of what residents from all areas of Colleyville desire.

2.) Please list all city activities, Boards, etc. you have been involved with the dates.

• Colleyville Parks & Recreation Advisory Board: 2011-2013
• Colleyville Tree Board: 2012-2013
• Park Land Dedication Committee: 2013
• Westmont HOA President: 2012-present
• GCS Mom’s League Member 2011-2014, Board Member 2012-2013
• Colleyville Women’s Club Member: 2015-2016
• Glenhope Elementary School PTA VP Membership: 2016-present
• GCISD Leadership Academy Participant: Fall 2016

3.) Please list the your top 5 major issues and your position on these issues.

• The trees, parks, trails and green spaces are one of things I love in Colleyville. I will work to protect and grow these areas by maintaining low density residential and neighborhood integrity.
• There are many roads in Colleyville that need to be improved. This year Colleyville Council has directed the more aggressive road construction than ever before. I will continue to work for effective planning to ensure road needs are addressed on an efficient, ongoing basis.
• Colleyville is not only a beautiful place to live, but it is safe and protected by amazing police officers and firefighters. These first responders are a huge part of what makes Colleyville an excellent place to live and own a business. We must continue to prioritize them and ensure they are well equipped and compensated.
• The council has a responsibility to the people to run a lean, effective government. I will champion low taxes, zero-based budgeting, and fight against debt financing and runaway spending projects. With strong accountability our finances should be able to fix our aging infrastructure.
• A transparent city government invites participation from its citizens, and gives deep vision into decisions with residents working alongside council and city staff. I want to continue this style of governing on Colleyville’s behalf. An open government should always be present for accountability.

Colleyville City Council Place 4 – George Dodson

George Dodson
7309 Balmoral Dr.
Colleyville, Texas

1. My best qualifications to serve on City Council are:

• As a 30 year Colleyville resident, I have been actively working within the community for the past 14 years striving to influence the City Council to address issues that affect our city and residents.
• I have a Masters degree in advanced statistics, dealing with very large data sources to identify and solve problems. I also have a certification as a Management Consultant from IBM and have received numerous awards such as a lifetime achievement award for my contributions to computer performance and capacity planning.
• I have worked in large corporations (IBM and Perot Systems) as a senior executive and as a management consultant leading large organizations in solving difficult problems, identifying measures to improve the quality of the product and save millions in costs.  I will apply my management expertise and my educational knowledge to Colleyville’s benefit.
• I have helped lead and educate Colleyville citizens on areas like stopping Tex Rail, stopping the proposed Colleyville Tex Rail Station, stopping the overly expensive plans to take property and kill hundreds of trees on Glade Road and helped present petitions to the City Council to stop those projects. I worked hard during last year’s campaign season for the election of our 3 new Council Members and worked to get the Amendments to the City Charter passed with an overwhelming majority.  I have also regularly attended pre-council meetings, workshop meetings and Council meetings for years as an interested citizen and contributor.
• My experience in managing large budgets in my executive career with IBM and Perot Systems will be beneficial as a Council Member to help keep the city operating in a conservative fiscal manner.

2. City Boards or committees for Colleyville:

• I served on the Water and Wastewater Committee during the months of September and October 2016 which provided the City council with the new utility billing model.  The results were to stop funding the General Fund with over $1.2 million from excess profit from overbilling most water customers. In addition, I provided financial models to prove the city was paying over $1 million each year for water and wastewater treatments as “included” in the base charges to customers. The bills are now fair and transparent.  I will continue to focus on these kinds of situations where the City can more fairly treat our citizens.
• I currently serve as Chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission being appointed September 2016. My goals for serving on the Commission were to follow the documented standards for property in Colleyville, and help ensure the modifications approved were fair and equitable to both the applicants and to the rest of Colleyville citizens.  In addition, the Commission’s role is to help ensure the City Master Plan is properly implemented in documents such as the Land Development Code.

3. The Top 5 major issues and my positions on those issues are:

• Streets – I want to help the city continue the changes brought about by the new city council majority to retain the look and feel of our streets, keep our trees and the retain the semi-rural feel of the city as well as finding alternatives that are more economical.  The Council has made changes that have resulted in the city being able to rebuild streets in a comprehensive way that provides a solid base for the road, and should last between 20 and 30 years while costing 1/5 the cost of a total reconstruction. Most of Colleyville streets do not have the foundations that are necessary for long life streets. While there are some portions of streets that may require total reconstruction, the majority of streets can be rebuilt without having to be totally re-designed.  The new Capital Improvement Plan for 2017-18 shows we can repair significantly more miles of streets that would not have been possible with the prior Council’s plans.  This is a case of the new Council taking the lead and finding more economical ways to improve our City.  This example is precisely the kind of leadership I expect to add to the Council when elected.
• Manage to the updated Comprehensive Plan:  The new revisions to the City’s Comprehensive Plan ensure that every future housing development or re-development be required to meet the maximum of 1.8 houses per net acre. The 1.8 limit has been the rule since Colleyville established their current form of government.  I recommended changes as did other Planning & Zoning commissioners, and all were accepted by the City Council.  I support the revisions to the 2015 Plan and the commitment to low-density housing and the preservation of our neighborhoods.  Over the past 20 years City Councils had allowed the building of more than 20 developments with an average net density of 4.6 houses per acre (the highest net density was over 8).  I have nothing against those who live in these high-density developments; I just don’t want the City to continue allowing such developments. I will work diligently continue to preserve the unique character of Colleyville.
• Protect the Tax Payer: The new City Council majority lowered the tax rate this year for the first time in 10 years.  Prior Councils kept the same tax rate, but the rate, applied to appraisal increases result in higher taxes for citizens (the most recent appraisal increases averaged near 9% in a year).  I want to help ensure the City Council continues to provide leadership to hold the line on the budget (within population changes and inflation) while still providing quality services to citizens that we have come to expect.  The City Council is the “board of directors” for the city and I will help provide leadership to set the financial direction for the city working with City Staff.
• Transparency: I want the City to provide significantly more clarity on city financial matters.  While I worked on the Water and Wastewater Committee we found that there was not a consolidated summary of Reserve Funds for the Utility Fund.  The budgets for the General and special operating funds as well as the Reserve Funds for these portions of City operations must be made much more available and understandable to Colleyville residents.  While the new OpenGov application will help view City financial data, we must make sure it’s implementation is citizen friendly. We also need to improve the general communications strategy for the city so that more citizens are aware of city actions and changes that are being evaluated and approved by the City Council.
• Parks and other services: Colleyville has made significant progress over the years in providing parks, athletic fields and other services such as the Library and Senior Center for our citizens.  I want to help make sure the City is looking for opportunities to add to our park spaces and enhance the parks we have.

Colleyville City Council Place 4 – Mike Sexton

Mike Sexton
3612 Greenbriar
Colleyville, TX

Q: What do you feel are your best qualifications to serve on City Council?

A:  I approach this opportunity the same way I’ve approached the businesses I’ve started or help create over the past 15 years…with a deep understanding of the issues, reliance on facts and an open mind. As a leader, coach and community leader I possess the interpersonal skills, personal drive and passion required for this position. Progress can’t happen without collaboration, realistic goal setting and rock solid action plans that are then executed against to achieve optimum results. As an entrepreneur and endurance coach for triathletes all over the Metroplex, I know action, not words, are what lead to success. 

I am uniquely qualified in that I represent the viewpoints of not just one side or faction, but those of Colleyville residents that look to this Council to create a safe, beautiful and economical place to work and live.  My extensive work as a manager, business development director, business owner and partner have created a number of techniques and tools to drive results and accomplish goals effectively.

My political background runs the spectrum. Having seen first hand the effect that true citizen involvement yields, I have become more active in Colleyville. This included organizing and leading the early election and election day voting efforts for the Charter Amendments which passed by 85% to 15%.  I am a centrist socially and have become more and more fiscally conservative as our publicly held debt continues to increase beyond $20 Trillion. In our highly divided community, there is a call for moderation. Someone who will listen to both sides of all situations and vote based on the information at hand instead of going along to get along. The diversity of Colleyville should always be represented at the elected level.  At the local level my focus will be fiscally based – even more so than the current council. My platform focuses on efficiency and spending accountability. My decisions will be based on whether or not the agenda items makes fiscal sense or provides some level of ROI commiserate with a “business investment.” I will not support items that purposely lose money for the sake of having “the next cool thing” like TexRail. I will also be staunchly against giving public funds to private organizations as this requires local governments to compete against each other with the citizen’s tax dollars.

Q: Please list all city activities, Boards, etc you have been involved with the dates:

 A: Executive committee member Bransford Elementary PTA (Sept 2015 to present)

  Bransford Dad’s Club President  (Sept 2015 to Present)

  Bransford WATCH Dog President  (Sept 2015 to Present)

  Coach and mentor – Girls on the Run (Spring 2016)

  CSA coach (Fall 2015 – Fall 2016)

 Top 5 Issues and Positions

Issue #1: Strategic Economic Development

My Position: It is important for us to pursue economic development, but I would like to see that in the way of jobs and consumers for our existing retail/restaurants instead of additional competition. Business Parks, Corporate Campuses, etc. that will provide daily customers to our existing small business and can protect our rural feel with the right type of construction, specifically on the northern corridor of Colleyville. 

Issue #2: Citizen approval of tax revenue increases

My Position: Government entities should not take more than they need. The issue at hand is the ability for a city to increase tax revenue up to 8% without a vote or citizen input. If we wanted to take a bond and increase taxes it would require a vote, why not tax revenue? I believe we should cap it at 4% and that if we desire or feel a need to take the full 8% it triggers a vote by the citizens to allow such increases. The money belongs to the citizens, the citizens should have say in the process. 

Issue #3: Zero Based Budgeting

My Position: We should pass legislation requiring “zero based budgeting” to increase fiscal transparency, efficiency and accountability. Essentially, every department starts the budget process with zero and has to defend every expenditure as a necessity for providing service. Remove the “if you don’t spend it you won’t have it to spend next year” approach to budgets.

Issue #4: Bridging the divide amongst citizens

My Position: Due to extremely nasty politics over the last two years, the two most active factions in Colleyville will not sit down and talk to each other. As each suggests an idea or process the other attacks it immediately without determining merits or opportunity for compromise. This will end with me. I have no stake nor see enemies on either side. I want Colleyville to improve. Plain and simple. The best way will be learning how to work together for a common future.

Issue #5: Innovation and efficiency with Capital Improvement Projects

My Position: We need to actively seek out new technology for our CIP to ensure we are using the best and latest techniques that produce the “most bang for the buck.” We have $117 million worth of CIP that is unfunded currently and this needs to be a priority going forward.

Colleyville City Council Place 4 – Chad LaPrelle

Chad LaPrelle
Address:  ????

Chad LaPrelle  was presented with the same opportunity as the other candidates.
LNO could find no property in Colleyville in LaPrelle’s name.
LNO did find property ownership related ex-Mayor David Kelly found on TAD as follows;

KELLY DEBORAH R
905 INWOOD LN
COLLEYVILLE TX

The Deed appears to have been changed to list only Deborah Kelly in 1997 while the original deed dated in 1995 is as shown as follows.